Gravity
by x.Amaterasu
Summary: When a string of scandalous events deserted Kagome and Sesshoumaru somewhere in modern time, the only hope of getting back resides in their ability to endure each other. But as their journey ends, can they endure being separated once again?
1. Twice the Trouble for the Couple

Featuring my favorite Inuyasha pairing –  
the phlegmatic Lord Sesshoumaru  
and delectable priestess Kagome.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and all other entities that hold any rights to the series. There is no profit being made by this written fiction, save for the enjoyment I am hoping to supply you all with it.

And so, without further ado,

* * *

**Gravity  
Chapter 1: Twice the Trouble for the Couple**

* * *

"Perfect," Kagome mumbled, eyeing the bed of sizable rocks she must trek over if any hope for survival was desired.

She glanced at the man already a few hundred feet ahead of her, studying the way he sprang from one huge rock to another with ease and worthy elegance. His long, glistening silver hair swerved in the opposite direction of his leaps and his landings were light and effortless.

Kagome winced at the sharp ache on her calves and sighed at the sky, which had already commingled with deep purples and violent oranges from the midday blue and white clouds. Hours have passed since she and Sesshoumaru have started their journey toward any hint of familiarity, and they have been the longest, muted, and most rigorous hours she has ever lived through.

Of all the luck disposed on Earth, did she _have _to be burdened with one so ill? With what she had seen and heard of the man, he wouldn't likely make a likable companion, as he so eagerly proved by his unwillingness to converse. He hasn't said a single word to her, even when she awoke by the river and he stood at the bank of it, entirely spaced, as though aggregating the details of their circumstance. After he was done, he simply turned and started walking, not once taking a look if she obediently followed.

Still, she was alive.

And he likely saved her. How else had she gotten on land with him? The reason why he did was beyond her and the impenetrable stoic of a youkai silenced any question she might have. Though she had plenty to ask, like _what in the world happened_, she kept them to herself, strictly telling herself that was appropriate.

So far, he hasn't demanded that she leave him alone, and for now, that's enough. His presence offered precious company and safety from the youkai, and that's enough.

Despite Sesshoumaru's leisurely steps, Kagome found herself struggling through the laborious texture of the land. Except for small animals and a couple of wild demons, the terrain for as far as Kagome could see was inhabitable. No sign of human living establishments have been present since they've started walking and it was hardly a surprise, for even the soil was dry and so unmanageable, there was difficulty in merely walking on it. The ache in her calves most likely resulted from the constant shift in the unstable level of the ground.

As Kagome climbed onto the first of the interminable display of rocks that threatened to end her hope to get out of this mess, she recalled the events that played earlier that morning, slowly losing herself in the turmoil it brought to her emotions.

"_She's…," Inuyasha began, his face casted down before he peered decidedly at Kagome as he finished, "She's alive."_

He mouthed two words, but has determined many. In those words, Kagome unearthed the decision he has ultimately made. And it did not involve her.

Two weeks earlier, when they encountered Naraku, they witnessed the demise of Kikyo by his fatal hands. The attack had pushed her over a cliff and into the river of Naraku's lethal, purple miasma. Inuyasha had desperately searched for a hint of her remains – for any sign that could revive his hope for her survival – but to no avail.

Kikyo had disappeared, and she was assumed as dead until they've come across a small village earlier that morning, where they learned that an elderly chief was nursed back to health by the priestess Kikyo just days before and had immediately left the village right after.

"_I can't lose her again." _

His words were like salt to her wounds.

"_Why does it have to be that way?" Kagome had yelled. Tears had collected in her eyes and blurred her vision, but she didn't care. Her chest tightened and she enslaved her body just to breathe. "Even if she's out there, it doesn't change that she's still—!"_

Dead. But the word clung to her throat. After all he's done that hurt her, after all he'd ever said that struck her, she wasn't able to do his heart the harm of knowing hopelessness.

She thought Kikyo's existence hurt. She didn't think her disappearance could be so insufferable. To think that the man she loves had… _died_ along with that girl's death – that he seemed unable to summon love for anyone else once she's gone – was almost impossible to accept.

Of course, she knew it had always been Kikyo. Inuyasha's protection of her may have been sincere, but his heart had always been armored by what Kikyo could give—had given him. While the sword does the work and the shield does not, if the sword is turned against the shield, it cannot do much. Kikyo changed Inuyasha for the better. She transformed him to who he was now, and what has _she _ever done but get in his way during a fight and cry when she felt weak? What has she ever done for him, like Kikyo was so able to?

Her heart clenched when she came up empty.

"_I'm leaving," he whispered, his eyes hiding from her. And it was because he knew what she felt and what he's making her endure, but he's fighting to keep his decision intact anyway. "I'm going to find her, because there's been so many times I could have been there and I wasn't. This time, I need to save her. But, I'll come back."_

_Kagome escaped the scene, not wanting to see how it will end, because she knew how it will end. She can't convince him anymore, and she won't try to. To fail this time would be fatal. _

_He chose her. Even now, he can't help but choose Kikyo over her. He chose Kikyo over the Shikon no Tama. Inuyasha had butchered her into searching for the sacred jewel, yet he would abandon it all for Kikyo's sake. Where does that put her? Below Kikyo, below the jewel…_

_Kagome was tired of questions. It was a sad thing if your mind could only inquire, could only ask, and could only wonder. _

_She darted through the woods for as long as she could go, ignoring the jagged sting in her lungs as she pushed herself to carry on longer, farther. Her cheeks leaked with blood from small cuts she'd received and her legs and arms were roughly bruised and bloodied with injuries. _

_She gasped loudly and fell on her knees when she reached a clearing and realized she was whisking toward a cliff. She stayed on her knees and stared at the ground underneath her before her tears began to drool onto the earth. _

_After a while, she slowly collected what little she could of herself and scrambled uneasily onto her feet. Absently plodding toward the cliff, she sighed and closed her eyes, trying to feel the breeze—or anything, really—but just to feel something other than the pain. Her entire body felt numb and her chest felt like a giant knot of emotions that snaked throughout her body, down to the last fingertip. _

"_You are unfortunate." _

_The girl yelped as she pivoted around instantaneously, briefly espying thin, silver strands before displacing her foot and losing balance over the edge of the cliff. She closed her eyes tightly as she felt herself fall. Suddenly, soft silk and firm, robust arms wrapped around her. Instinct compelled her to struggle against him. _

_Allowing him to save her would be unforgivable to herself. She was still angry, she was still hurt. "I need to save her". It was Kikyo he wished to save, and so his rescue could only hurt her more. She felt neither relieved nor scared; she didn't know how to feel anymore. _

_She sobbed quiet tears as she contested against him, throwing her arms blindly and jerking her legs wildly about. _

_But where did life threaten to take her now? Only once, did God feel, was enough for humans to live fully. Hurt is so natural and love, even more so. Love is unprecedented, for the same love is never felt twice. Love for everyone is different, like a new and brilliant, unknown color, when before, all we ever knew was black and white._

_And if it so happens that her love should hurt this much, then she could only hope to have her heart broken by him, who has also made her so happy._

_No sooner had she started to resist him, she flung her arms around him and held onto him solidly. Without a second thought, thinking she doesn't have a second to spare for regrettable hesitations, she drew her lips hard against his and discharged every fiber of herself in that kiss. _

_Fire burned within her. Memories flashed more rapidly than she fell and all of them were happy. These will be what she'll remember and keep. These will be all she ever took from him. Her broken heart soared and joined with the wind, and she wanted so much to kiss him forever. _

_They disappeared into the raging belly of the waterfall, their lips still intact, until Kagome is suddenly plunged into complete darkness._

Kagome tripped over the rock she was perched on and awoke from her recollection. Hot. It felt so hot all of a sudden. She assigned her right hand against her cheek and realized she was blushing.

That's right. She had actually kissed Sesshoumaru, thinking he was Inuyasha. Mentally slapping herself didn't feel like it would suffice for the humiliation she had literally plummeted herself into. If he had been angry about it, he did an incredibly annoying good job at hiding it. A small part of her felt insulted that the kiss she had poured her whole being into could be tossed aside and dismissed so easily.

She scoffed. All at once, she grasped reality. She was in the middle of nowhere, alone. The bed of rock stretched behind her, which meant she must have continued trekking along while she daydreamed, but in that time, had lost sight of her companion. Looking onwards, she found land, and more land. It was dark and chilly all of a sudden, and fright consumed her entirely.

What now? What in the world now?

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Sesshoumaru sensed her aura pace from one emotion to another at unbelievable haste and each as heightened and intense as the next.

Something had saddened her right before it angered her. Then she became indifferent and almost relieved, and then panicked and immediately scared. She was angered again and saddened again, all before she quickly felt determined, followed by aroused—

The damned girl! She was recalling the morning's riotous happenings.

_He had only pursued her after glimpsing her distressed dash through the forest. His feet had brought him to her by intrigued command and he watched in lack of interest as she merely emptied her human feelings. The stress in her heart clashed with his aura and its violent dance fascinated him._

_Tears are weaknesses. Mundane things for humans, who find no fault in the display of such things. Yet her aura almost challenged his. In her oppressed state, she unconsciously dared a fight instead of wallowing within the flaw that only makes demons that much more superior to humans. As a lord of a most exuberant land, he, Sesshoumaru, possessed no tolerance for anything beneath his considerable magnitude. Nevertheless, he would never bother with his claws needlessly. Such inconvenience would only stain his glory as well as his claws, which he wasn't fond of cleaning up so the stench could leave his person._

_He inspected the way she moved – so pathetically weakened by mental things. She treaded carelessly near the cliff and he smirked at how truly demented she must have driven herself into. But then she lifted her chin at the empty air and lightly veiled her eyes, and it baffled him that she didn't dive to her own death after her overwhelming show of water works._

_Advancing forward so that he is revealed from the shadows of the surrounding trees, he stood right behind her for a while. Contemplating what to do was blurred momentarily by the confusions she had successfully provoked, but he quickly recollected himself._

"_You are unfortunate," he heard himself voice indifferently. _

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at what happened next. His actions were beyond him, but he eased it by accrediting her ability to bewilder the Lord of the Western Lands.

Her aura was still distracted by her thoughts when Sesshoumaru heard a rustle several hundred feet away. Without hesitating, he raced toward the small-fry fiends that would so willingly blurt what Sesshoumaru wanted to know about their whereabouts, or otherwise taste the poison of his claws.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Kagome scanned her surroundings listlessly. Her ability to care was diminishing fast with her hopeless situation. Sesshoumaru had abandoned her; guiltlessly forsaken her into the great unknown. Having walked, hopped, fallen, jumped – and on and on – all day has drained her energy and she was on the verge of giving in to her exhaustion.

However, if she doesn't find a safe and preferably warm place to stay for the night, she knew she would be as good as breakfast buffet for the animals undoubtedly desperate for food in this kind of region. Deciding she would rather die peacefully in a dirty, chilly cove than be scattered all across an isolated terrain in the bellies of wild animals, she continued weakly on.

About an hour into the dark night later, Kagome caught a glimpse of familiarity. Feeling hope surge throughout her body and fuel her bones, she ran toward the sight.

Her object of faith turned out to be an old, ramshackle well. It almost perfectly resembled the Bones Eater's Well, except this one was visibly much older. Not to mention the area around it completely lacked the greenery and fresh air the Bones Eater's Well had. She sighed as the last thread of hope fled from her body and she stood downcast in front of the well. It was getting harder and harder to see what's in front of her, and she knew that it would be impossible for her to find her dirty, peaceful cove now.

She wasn't sure how everything could have turned around so relentlessly for her in only one day and she was so tempted to scream and cry, if she didn't know that youkai would flock around her at the deafening noise. And, she decided, that whether she lived through this or not, she will not cry anymore. Being so vulnerable had taken her here, alone in the dark unknown. If Fate was trying to be funny, she was afraid of what cunning trick was up Her sleeve once she conceded to tears again.

Absently sitting on the bank of the well, she allowed horror and fear to consume her. Loneliness, too, and the bitter, stinging cold.

"Miko."

Kagome snapped her head up in alarm, but found only darkness and a hint of white sparkle before realizing she had looked up too abruptly with much force. Her balance on the aging wooden well was lost and it gave in to her weight, easily breaking the tampered wood and sending her down the well.

But she was exhausted now and her body failed her. Her mind failed her as it just then decided to finally give in. Warmth pricked her skin gently and a small, quivering smile found itself on her lips as she embraced the feeling of Heaven. At least this must be Heaven, for it felt cool and relaxed, and her emotions drifted into nothingness.

It somehow felt familiar.

A hefty weight suddenly surrounded her and her lungs suffered painfully from the enormous pressure being brought down on her. Everything else felt numb but the sharp pull at her lungs. She couldn't breathe. It was wet and freezing cold and the pressure was so heavy.

Either she was being pulled or pushed, but either way, the force was adamant. It was difficult to even think—only feel. If a cold and wet Hell existed, she didn't doubt that was where she was. It was suffocating.

'Make it stop!' she screamed in her mind.

* * *

Phew. Well, everyone, that's Chapter 1 for you. I can't wait to begin writing Chapter 2, which I promise to have updated by the end of this weekend—March 7.

Also, I look forward to reviews about the first chapter, so please drop some before you leave. I'd really, really love and appreciate each comment and concern you guys might have. Your reviews will keep me motivated and excited for this fanfiction.

Bye bye, butterflies. [Amaterasu] And I'll see you around.


	2. Endure the Allure of the Fur

Hello, everyone.

By the time I've uploaded this, I would have already  
done my college exams, which gives me all the room in  
my heart to feel the excitement of presenting you with  
Chapter 2 of my story, as I've promised.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and all other entities that hold any rights to the series. There is no profit being made by this written fiction, save for the enjoyment I am hoping to supply you all with it.

And so, without further ado,

**

* * *

**

Gravity  
Chapter 2: Endure the Allure of the Fur

* * *

_A hefty weight suddenly surrounded her and her lungs suffered painfully from the enormous pressure being brought down on her. Everything else felt numb but the sharp pull at her lungs. She couldn't breathe. It was wet and freezing cold and the pressure was so heavy. _

_Either she was being pulled or pushed, but either way, the force was adamant. It was difficult to even think—only feel. If a cold and wet Hell existed, she didn't doubt that was where she was. It was suffocating. _

'_Make it stop!' she screamed in her mind._

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Slowly, the pressure became tolerable, until all her mind worried about was breathing. Her body was numb with the cold, but without the pressure, she could feel the body that pressed against her chest and identify an arm firmly wrapped around her waist. When she felt air dance in a soft breeze against her face, she gasped to inhale as much as she could. Life gradually returned to her lungs as it immediately gorged upon its food.

Refusing to open her eyes, half guessing the ordeal she'll soon face, Kagome stubbornly kept them closed.

"I would assume a corpse belongs at the bottom of the ocean," a cool, calm voice spoke above her head.

Sesshoumaru released her from the lock of his arm, forsaking her to sink and drown in the abyss of water. When Kagome felt the absence of his hold, she opened her eyes just in time to catch sight of his glowing figure as it swiftly began to evolve into an orb.

"Hey, wait a second! You don't plan on leaving me out here, do you?" she desperately called as the glowing orb floated into the air.

His silence fueled her anger, and it tainted her fear of being left alone. It was so dark and by now, all she was certain of was that she was in water. Sesshoumaru implied that they were in the ocean, and if that was so, she'll be doomed at his departure. No longer could she help the ache in her chest that reminded her of all the things that has gone so terribly wrong. All she wanted now was to get out of it and it no longer mattered where she ends up or who she needed to implore for help. She just wanted _out_.

"Sesshoumaru!"

Sesshoumaru's glowing orb suddenly halted and slowly assembled his virile form once again. Once he was comfortably perched upon a thickly layered cloud of mist that collected at the bottom of his feet, he turned around to face her, a slight glare evident in his aloof eyes.

"Do not think you may address me so simply, miko," he said firmly.

"At least I called you by your name. My name is Kagome," she informed him, silently commanding him to address her as such. Out of impolitic rage, she swung her arm over the surface of the ocean and splashed water toward him. Deciding a moment later how unwise that was, Kagome brought her hands to her lips in spite of herself.

Sesshoumaru's calm eyes narrowed dangerously at her. Poison dripped from his voice as he spoke, "Do not forget you are alive now because of this Sesshoumaru, miko."

"My name is Kagome!" she repeated solidly, "And I never asked you to save me."

He casually raised a perfect brow. "Oh? Then do not delay my leave," he smirked superiorly, "miko."

His cloud drifted knowingly, even though the light of the full moon stretched her vision for about a mile and all she could see was water. As Sesshoumaru passed by the large moon seeming to wait by the horizon, Kagome thought he looked magnificent. There was no doubting the Lord's graceful beauty, but his indifference to her condition was becoming infuriating. As a final act of instinct, she took a hold of his fur, noting how warm and unworldly soft it was despite it being wet, and held on with dear life as she was taken out of the water and against the cool, night air.

Sesshoumaru barely stumbled at the added weight to his flight, but evidently winced at her agonizing clutch. This woman was quickly proving a bother—a handful, so they say. Even with the company of Rin, he has never dealt with anything "handful" before. Rin had been obedient and both Inuyasha and Jaken were simply a bother. But Inuyasha's wench was more a handful, at least going by his mother's definition of the term when his father was concerned.

"Sickly wench. You _will_ let go of my fur," he growled lowly.

"No way! You can't leave me here all by myself. I'm cold and I'm tired and it's dark—"

_10 minutes later…_

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes in deep frustration as he lowered himself—and the insufferable human girl—with unhurried pace onto the land, fighting himself almost painfully not to lamely race to the ground to get rid of her and her deathly grip on his tail as fast as possible. She has been deafening his sensitive ears with her childish whining all the way to shore.

More than once, he contemplated simply tossing the girl into the ocean. It would have been easy enough to shake her off, what with her dramatic quivering from the cold. And yet he shamed himself and glorified his deceased and foolish father by finally deciding against it every time.

It was her eyes. They have seen the knowledge of being chosen over—much as he did, when his esteemed father willingly chose Inuyasha's mother over his, and therefore chose Inuyasha over him.

"—and you know what—and I _dare_ you to ever quote me on this—but I'm only human and I do get lonely all by myself! Who doesn't? Don't answer that. So I'm helpless, but I don't—"

Before she could finish, Kagome was carelessly flung onto the ground. She greeted her teeth against the pain on her bottom and glared at him as menacingly as she could.

"—deserve that!"

"Handful."

Kagome's glare slowly fell into a stunned and bewildered expression. "What?"

Sesshoumaru bore her a glare of his own. "You are a handful. And an earful. I advise you don't talk."

The astonishment in her eyes was shattered as utter intrigue fell over them. She narrowed her eyes and forced her lips into a taut line. It wasn't like she intended to, nor did she understand why, but Kagome completely broke into hearty laughter.

She really should be insulted. He had basically proclaimed her a nuisance. But that's just it. His resigned Royal Highness was expressively bothered, and something about it felt magical to her. It felt weird to think that Sesshoumaru would be the one to lighten her awful mood, but not nearly as much as how good it felt to laugh and be free of her heavy burdens, even for just a little while.

Kagome laughed to her heart's content. She wished it would never stop seeming funny to her so she could laugh all her troubles away. Her stomach was tight and her lungs begged for air as she hugged herself. For that short while, she had forgotten what her misfortunes were, that she was lost alone with an enemy in the bitter cold, dark night. All she could think about was a very stubborn Sesshoumaru with an exaggerated pout.

She laughed harder. A tiny whisper in her mind cried, but she ignored it.

Sesshoumaru stood, flabbergasted at the girl's strange and _free _outburst. After about a second, he recovered his tact and then fully understood. The girl was releasing her stress through laughter. He could feel her aura tangled with miserable emotions and the desperation to keep firm. He could feel the false relief she felt as she laughed and her aura glowed radiantly. She must know that she was fooling herself, but for her, anything would do to get her mind off of things.

That was how he had been. Always fighting, collecting adrenaline and dispensing it on his enemies, was how he managed his indignation toward his father's treachery. It took years before he grew out of that childish act. Fooling oneself was a form of cowardice, and Sesshoumaru was no coward.

Now, he presented himself coolly, with perfect composure and a focused, matured mind.

Suddenly, he felt heat. Kagome's aura exempted her misery and welcomed strength. Sesshoumaru smirked. It would seem this girl truly challenged to amaze him even more than Sesshoumaru spared to think she already has.

Kagome sighed, wonderfully exhausted. She waited until her stomach muscles were entirely relaxed before she spoke.

"I'm sorry," she said between breathes, "I didn't mean to laugh."

"Then don't. This Sesshoumaru is not for your entertainment."

"I get it. I know."

It surprised her a little to find that there existed no threat in his tone, and even more so, that she felt very comfortable being engaged in such a dangerous conversation with Sesshoumaru.

"So, where are we?" she asked.

"It would seem, by the ocean," he smirked handsomely, and unintentionally so.

"What do you know," she uttered sarcastically as she struggled to stand on her feet, "The man's hilarious."

By then, Sesshoumaru began walking away. She automatically felt an unbearable chill as the distance between them gained more length.

"Wait, where are you going—"

A harsh realization struck her then, and she froze.

"You now realize, miko," Sesshoumaru spoke with impeccable calm, "We are no longer of my world."

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

"Did you find her?"

"I'm afraid not, Sango," Miroku answered with a slow shake of his head.

"Where could she be?" Sango wondered out loud, worry over her best friend framing her eyes and quivering lips.

"Inuyasha, this is all your fault," Shippo yelled as he pointed an accusing finger at the hanyou.

"I didn't tell her to run away," Inuyasha defended, "did I?"

"Because telling her that you're going off to look for Kikyo was so much better, right?" Shippo shot back.

"Yes, that would seem a reasonable factor to this ordeal, Inuyasha," Miroku chimed in.

"I know. You didn't think that she'd run away after that?" Sango added. "Don't you remember what happened last time?"

"Like I said—!"

"Inuyasha," Kaede's soft voice seemed to yell over the quarreling crowd, "My sister is dead. I also advise that you put your strength in the present, where it matters most right now. My sister, Kikyo, is precious to me, too, but so is Kagome. And Kagome is alive. Do you understand?"

Inuyasha scoffed angrily.

"I see, then it's all my fault she's gone. That girl probably just went back to her own time like always. She'll be back in a couple of days if you just give her time to calm down. As for me, I've decided," he declared as he neared the exit of the hut, "and I've decided to find Kikyo!"

With that, Inuyasha stomped out of Kaede's hut and dashed into the forest. He briefly glanced at the direction of the Bones Eater's Well before shaking his head to get rid of his doubts.

Where else could she go?

He dismissed the fear that she might be in danger and renewed his determination to find Kikyo. He has already announced his journey to look for her and he can't keep inflating Kagome's hope like a balloon, because all balloons eventually lose air. He never want to bring her down like that, and if acting now would only bring her down a little—but not force her to the ground—then he'd prefer to do just that—act now before it's too late.

He would find Kikyo and trust Kagome to be alright.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

"Similar to the Bones Eater's Well?"

"Yeah. I remember thinking that the well we fell into looked a lot like the well I use to transport back and forth between my time and yours," Kagome explained, "But the well must have taken us someplace else. We'd be lucky if we're somewhere in my time, at least."

"Your time?"

It infuriated him to ask so many questions, but the situation highly called for it. He and the girl have been walking for about an hour and he patiently listened as she pondered out loud about the possibility of being transported through time.

"Yes, it's very different from yours, and as I think you might have already sensed, there are no youkai here—well, save for you, of course. But what's troubling me is the well we fell into. The well I usually use is at my family shrine in Tokyo, and if both wells really work the same way…," she drifted into silence as she thought.

Sesshoumaru's eyes just barely narrowed at the sudden distress. "That well now lies shattered at the bottom of the ocean."

"Yes, and now just a one-way street from the past and into the future."

"A what?"

"Nevermind. Anyway, we need to find out where we are."

Kagome felt Sesshoumaru's thick fur slither around her long, slender legs. She sighed, stunned but so aware of the warmth it enveloped her benumbed, exposed legs into. It never occurred to her that Sesshoumaru had control over that fur; she always thought it was just an intense fashion statement. Now she realized that not only could he freely elongate it, but also move it at his will, like a dog's tail.

Well, he was, after all, a dog youkai.

"Wh—what are you doing?" she stuttered pathetically.

"There's a human village miles from here. This way will be faster," was the simple response before Kagome was hurled into the air as Sesshoumaru leapt impressively off the ground.

"If you could do this, why couldn't you have just done it before on the way to shore?"

"Might I remind you, miko, that you strangled the living soul out of it." Really, the ignorance of this human woman.

"Well, I didn't know it had feelings!"

"For it does not possess such things, but it can apparently suffer from the hands of a detestable human fool."

"Well, why didn't you say so?"

"It did not feel so harmed that I should do so. That is quite impossible for you to achieve."

"Still," Kagome softened her eyes in apology, though she knew he couldn't see, "I didn't mean to."

She absently began to caress her dainty, gentle fingers deep into the fur. Practically lying within the warm clutch of his fur was comfortable beyond imagination. Realization of her exhaustion hastily crept onto her mind as she felt her eyelids struggling to veil her eyes. She allowed a quiet sigh to escape her lips as she loosened her neck and rested her cheek against his fur.

Sesshoumaru felt her aura relax, and just as soon as it did, felt the striking sensation whiz inside of him as she stroked her fingers against his fur. His fur was like a separate part of his tail that remains visible in his human form, and a dog youkai's most sensitive detail was his tail. That's why it had aggrieved it so for her to grab onto it as tightly as she did.

The hurt was almost paralyzing, but not as much as her caress was doing so now.

And he did not like it.

Just as soon as she had relaxed her head onto his tail, he flung it solidly so that she was ripped away from its warm security. She was thrown onto the ground, on her aching butt once again.

"You have to stop doing that," she demanded irritably.

"We're here," he simply announced, looking ahead at the dimly lighted village in front of them.

* * *

I was so scared I wouldn't make my announced deadline! I stayed at a hotel the entire weekend and internet access was so expensive. I was out most of the time, but I would stay up to write a little every night. My most recent favorite place to write is inside the bath tub, lol.

Let's see. My next chapter should be up before or exactly on Thursday of this week—March 11.  
So please look forward to it, and double-please review to Chapter 2!

I really appreciate the feedback I've gotten from you guys so far. :)

So so much love, xAma.


	3. Unknown Town and Invisible Crowns

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and all other entities that hold any rights to the series. There is no profit being made by this written fiction, save for the enjoyment I am hoping to supply you all with it.

And so, without further ado,

:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:

**Gravity  
Chapter 3: Unknown Town and Invisible Crowns**

:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:

_Just as soon as she had relaxed her head onto his tail, he flung it solidly so that she was ripped away from its warm security. She was thrown onto the ground, on her aching butt once again. _

"_You have to stop doing that," she demanded irritably._

"_We're here," he simply announced, looking ahead at the dimly lighted village in front of them. _

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

"You'll have to go with me," Kagome plainly concluded, her eyes warily fixated at the quiet village ahead.

"I will not."

His voice was soft and calm like a harp, and somehow thickly marked a period on their discussion.

"But who knows where we are?" Kagome implored, clasping her hands together as she shuddered from her memory, once again glancing at the dingy object of her suspicion. "I'll have you know that the last time I came frolicking down one of those guileful vortexes, I was almost killed!"

"I assure you, miko, that you are in no safer place here with me if you don't get going," Sesshoumaru fumed gravely, "In fact, if not at this second, I promise you a consequence of a much greater magnitude."

"Fine, I'll go by myself. But if I get killed out there, just remember you're on your own. But you know what, no, you won't be! My ghost will hunt your sorry self your whole life, and I heard you youkai live quite a long time—" Kagome jabbered on, her voice fading as she clumsily started on the narrow path toward the village.

The torturous human female was just about to introduce him to this infamous 'headache'. He watched her slowly blend into the night, toward the weak light of the village, and narrowed his eyes as he instinctively scanned the surrounding area. Once determining that the girl would be safe, Sesshoumaru ambled to a nearby tree, specifically choosing one with a staunch, smooth trunk, and casually sat by it.

He laid one leg outstretched in front of him and the other, bent toward his chest. For a youkai of impregnable strength, he felt strangely drained. An irony, for he had just narrowly eluded being drowned with the girl. As a dog youkai, water was not a favorable element. And within a day's time, he twice approached his known weakness for the sake of the miko. Sesshoumaru allowed his eyes to close.

Descending down the cliff would have been facile enough to prevent had the impudent girl only kept her limbs to herself.

And her lips—

Sesshoumaru's thin eyebrows visibly narrowed together, his lips in a taut, unexpressive line. Never had he felt the slightest urge to indulge in such mundane manners, and therefore never have. The fact that a human had freely treated herself to any part of him tickled his pride as a youkai lord. The quittance for her theft shall be laborious and extend throughout her puny human life.

The enigma of the well was enormously baffling. He hadn't a second to think when he realized they have somehow dived more than five hundred yards into the ocean. His superb speed—fortunately still applicable within water, cursed that it was—had supplied enough necessity for them to survive.

And the truth stood that he had saved her—and in spite of the trouble it had delivered him to do so. What deranged manner of sense his late father had condemned him with would be disposed of as soon as knowledge of their location was known. He was no rash and senseless fool, whose pride ran rampantly without wisdom.

Nevertheless, that accursed woman had rendered his efforts pointless. Just as he had stylishly persuaded those barbaric youkai to choke out the direction of the nearest human village, she decided it would be timely to fall a second time.

And he had saved her a second time.

At that moment, a frightened squeal echoed through the open lea. He hesitated. It had come earlier than he had anticipated. Sesshoumaru smirked when he caught the subtle scent of her fresh blood in the traveling wind and soon after sensed her aura flare with pure frustration.

If she could, Sesshoumaru would not doubt that the girl would, in fact, devote her afterlife devastating his long youkai existence.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

The sudden step was invisible under the inky night sky. She easily missed it and stumbled roughly onto the ground, earning her a long but shallow gash on her thigh. By now, Sesshoumaru could fully bathe in the blame she showered him with. Twice had she fallen earlier that day because the youkai was unfamiliar with a proper and reasonable approach, especially to someone as distracted as she had been.

"He takes his royalty way too seriously," Kagome mumbled, aggravated. "They might just point machine guns at me instead of an arrow this time."

Her body ached severely from the minor but countless wounds she'd received throughout her ordeal and the chilly wind pricked her skin through her damp, torn clothes. But it felt numb now, and Kagome wasn't sure whether that was because of the cold or because she desperately forced her mind not to think about the pain. She and Sesshoumaru needed to get out of here and back to Feudal Japan.

What if he decided to go berserk and go on a killing spree? She can't allow him to cause such a violent rampage. And knowing Sesshoumaru—

Knowing Sesshoumaru, he's unlike any other youkai. Kagome has never actually seen him slaughter a human before. His aversion toward humans was transparent, and he wasted no effort in hiding it. Rin was a surprising exception and Kagome applauded him for that. She would even admire him if only she'd let herself. He had endeavored to kill _her_ before, but his ambition were buried so deep into his heart and engulfed its entire volume, that it spared no room for emotions—only judgment through his mind.

An ambition borne from knowing that his father had not bequeathed him with Tetsusaiga, when he was the more patent choice as its heir. Was Sesshoumaru, in fact, familiar with an emotion other than animosity? Just as she reached the entrance to the village, Kagome decided he must recognize the feeling of betrayal, too.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Upon clear sight of the village, a feeling of relief washed over Kagome.

The dim lights from the village were neither from candles nor oil lamps, but from authentic light bulbs. She lectured herself not to inflate her hopes too much—2020 can very well still have light bulbs, and after all, she still didn't have a clue of where and _when _they are. Taking a breath, she advanced under the wooden post signifying that this village was actually a town, called "Kibou Town".

She identified the first street as the market area. If it wasn't for subtle modern variations, Kagome would have thought that they were still somewhere in Feudal Japan. Store signs were one difference and the road was aged but was evidently paved. The buildings were two-story high and the second floors revealed hints of being designed as a home for the store owners, like the freshly washed laundry hanging by the balconies.

All the shops were closed, which implied that the hour must be late. Not a soul lingered on the narrow street and Kagome felt ridiculous and fairly afraid just standing in the middle of it. A part of her screamed "ghost town" but she refused to heed it. It was literally vital that she acquire the information she needed to securely go back to the Feudal Era with Sesshoumaru.

"My lady," a soothing voice exclaimed faintly behind her.

Kagome whisked around and studied the girl that stood in front of her. Right off the bat, she determined that the girl was about her own age. From the lamps outside the stores, Kagome could admire the toffee-tinted hair that brushed against the girl's ivory shoulders. She wore an emerald green shift, which bore elegantly with her soft, honey eyes. Needless to mention, she was beautiful, even in spite of the worry invading her gentle features.

Kagome espied an illusive amusement in the girl's eyes before casually tossing the ridiculous thought away. She looked like an honest and innocent bundle of sweets.

"What has happened to you?" the girl wanted to know and Kagome decided that she indeed sounded sincere enough. She smiled, finally letting some relief take over some parts of her.

"A lot," she began.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

"That's quite an ordeal," the comely girl, Meiko, sympathized as she stirred the porridge and kindled the heat on the stove. "I'm so happy I was able to be of some help to you."

Kagome sighed, satisfied with herself. Explaining her dilemma to Meiko had been an ordeal in itself. Saying that she was pretty much dumped by a half youkai for the walking corpse of his inert ex lover in the Feudal Era sounded irrevocably ludicrous, even to Kagome. And let's not even start with the fact that her unexpected encounter with his full youkai half brother somehow plummeted them both at the bottom of the ocean in some unknown period of time and to this village.

Now that she's reviewing her life over, she realized the absurdity of it all.

It was simply much safer to say that their boat wrecked after a few hours from the time they left the harbor in Tokyo.

Kagome smiled dismally to herself at how much everything has changed so suddenly and sighed in melancholy.

Meiko had kindly escorted her to her warm and lovely home, which reminded Kagome too much of Kaede's hut—only bigger and decked with a full bathroom and a kitchen—and immediately treated her wounds. There was an empty space and folded blankets in the main room and Kagome guessed that Meiko and her said husband must sleep there. She then proceeded to supply Kagome with a thick, sewn blanket and hot tea, and now insisted that she heat some porridge for her.

The icing was in Meiko's words, however. When Kagome casually asked what date it was again, Meiko informed her that it was August 16, 2009. It was an enormous relief to find that they were, in fact, within Kagome's time period.

Kagome couldn't believe her luck in meeting her. It was the first sign that day that assured her she wasn't indefinitely damned for some reason.

"But are you sure it's okay for me to intrude like this?" Kagome asked her shyly.

"Of course it is. I insisted, after all," Meiko answered as she entered the room and carefully laid the steaming bowl of porridge on the center table in front of Kagome.

"Ah, this looks good!" Kagome admitted, her eyes reflecting her grumbling appetite. When she inhaled deeply, she added in excitement, "And it smells good, too. Thank you!"

"I'm glad," Meiko smiled at her as she sat on the pillow opposite of Kagome. After a while, she wondered, "This companion you mentioned, is he not with you?"

"Oh, he's somewhere, but I'm not about to worry about him."

Meiko giggled and the sound of it was as tranquil as window chimes. "I imagine the two of you don't get along very well?"

"You imagine right. He's arrogant and rude—and to think he's so handsome, too," Kagome pondered the contrast in a whisper as she sipped her hot porridge, delighting in the way that it coursed throughout her body and ease the chilblain on her hands.

"Is he? Well, I'd sure love to meet this fellow."

"Speaking of fellows, where is your husband?"

"He has gone to Osaka to buy some things that are harder to find around here, as you can imagine. It's such a small town."

"That's true, but it's also peaceful."

"Yes, my husband loves nature. We are very happy to call this place our home."

"That sounds so perfect. You got married really young, too."

Meiko smiled. "We had no doubts."

Kagome smiled back at her and glanced up thoughtfully at the window, into the splendor of the moon.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Meiko awoke a few hours later and regarded the empty mattress she'd laid out for Kagome. She simply smiled and reposed back down against her pillow.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Sesshoumaru sensed her aura approaching. She was calm and smelled of wild flowers. He opened his eyes in anticipation. Considering the length of time she'd been gone, the girl must have received some kind of information instead of just a bath.

In any case, her absence had given him too much time to think and he thought too much in consequence. The annoyance and incessant blabbering that came with her presence interrupted such disturbing thoughts from running through his head.

"Boo!"

Sesshoumaru felt a slight tingle from his stomach—a chuckle strangely not originating from the thought of someone's delirium—and allowed a subtle smirk to play on the corner of his lips. He tilted his head to look at the girl who was peeking at him from behind the tree he sat against.

"You don't honestly think—"

"That I could scare you?" Kagome guessed, "Of course not. But that I would surprise you by actually doing it, sure, I was hoping to accomplish that."

She smiled at the way his eyes widened a little.

Some credit had to be handed to the miko, but that she purposefully reduced his grand status to her level of games boiled his patience with her. How he desired to snap her neck and cease her ceaseless games for good.

"What have you found out?" he inquired instead.

"Plenty. You'll be glad to hear we're at least within my time in the Modern Era."

"That does nothing to please me. Where is the other path to my world?"

"Easy, I'm getting there, alright? It's at my family shrine in Tokyo, which unfortunately, is miles and miles away from here. According to the girl I met, Meiko, we're on the outskirts of Ise, a city south of where the well is."

Kagome bent her knees and sat her butt on her heels. She voiced her concerns, her eyes staring off into the distance. "The only this is, I don't know how we'll get there. The nearest airport is in Osaka, but even then, we don't have any money."

"An airport?"

"Yeah. You know, airplanes— Oh," she sighed, "Nevermind. We can't afford it anyhow."

"Then we shall travel," Sesshoumaru suggested as he began to stand up.

Kagome only peered up at him in shock. "There's no way we're traveling on foot the whole way!"

"Of course there is. I'm aware that you've had your share of it, in search of that useless jewel."

"Well, I can't. Meiko has restricted me from roaming about until I'm all better. It'll be rude to leave after all she's done!"

Sesshoumaru growled impatiently down at her. "That girl and what she wants is none of my concern. We leave now or I shall drag you there myself."

"Oh, so clever, because I'm sure you know your way there. This world is a million times different from the Feudal Era, and you know as well as I do that, yes—sorry to say but—I'm your only hope of getting back."

"This Sesshoumaru does not _hope_."

"You hope of getting Tetsusaiga!"

Sesshoumaru glared malevolently at her, but said nothing. She thinly tested his patience and his appetite to dispose of her was becoming ungovernable.

She wasn't oblivious. His searing urge to kill her played in his eyes, like it was a projector to his very mind. Like autumn, she felt her throat dry up at the sight of winter—which in this case, was Sesshoumaru.

Admittedly, she confessed that her accusation was harsh. After she had concluded where his issue with the Tetsusaiga had stemmed from, she hadn't wanted to use it against him. But there was a measure to his spoiled attitude and she had to draw that line before it got out of control. If she'll be traveling with him, she wanted that cold and spoiled façade tamed, even just a little.

Somewhere in her heart, she wanted to understand him. She doesn't really want to hate him, and his efforts to gain her hatred were becoming tiresome. Meiko was right—they really don't get along. But she knew, as he did, that they were going to have to find a way.

And respect for each other will be reciprocal, or else nothing will come of it.

"Now, look," she started after a while of warring stares, "I've brought you some food. You must be hungry, right?"

When she turned to face him, he appeared like a stubborn child who was avoiding troublesome conversation by looking somewhere—anywhere—else but toward the conflict. She couldn't help the smile that plastered gently across her face.

Her aura relaxed into contentment and he curiously turned to look at her, his face void of emotions. She smiled a little bigger and threw him an apple, which he caught easily in his palm without averting his piercing, amber eyes from her.

"Sit down," she instructed cheerfully, "There's more here."

:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:

A/N: Let's assume it _was_ 2009. ^^;

Also, I received a critique suggesting that I should tone down the way I write and I tried really hard to do that, so I hope my efforts suffice. :)

Chapter 4 will be up by Sunday, March 14.

So so much love, xAma.


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